Fan regulating device



Oct. 13, 1931. R, R AN v 1,827,039

- FAN REGULATING DEVICE Filed Dec. 15, 1924 77240 Faye-171 Patented Get. 13, 19 31 i l I if i A NITED STA ES PATENT] O FF E I 5:

nALr'HnAeAN, or ATLANTA, GEORGIA mm itncunnrmennvicn Application filedDecember 15, 1924.,fSeri a1No, 755,974. i

This invention is an improvement'in'chain- (not shown -from the crank shaft tnot tightening and fan regulating devices'for 'inshown) The chain runs over an idle gear 7,

v ternal combustion engines, and one of the keyed or otherwisesecured to the shaft 8,=and

principal objects thereof is to provide in a this shaft is supported in a pair of spaced '5 single device, means for" readily and accu-i plates 79. connected together by a'bar 110, so. as

rately tightening thetiming chain, and means to be integral with each other, the shaft being for automatically releasing 'thefanat prede capable of rotating; within the plates 9,, t nni n d ngin p d I through the medlum of bearings, preferably 2 It is known to automobile engineers that ball bearings, as lndicated'at 11; .One 'of the 1 h w r required to drive the coolingian plates 9 is recelved in an opening intherear ,5 l

of an internal combustion engine amounts to wall of the chain housing, and the other in a considerable,-and that above certain speeds of slmilar opening in the forward wall ofthe an-automobile, this power represents wasted chain housing, the plates being spaced si1fii-v energy, ince the rush 'of'aip at and above =c1ently apart t0 coincide Withtll spacing 0f v 1-? these speeds, due tothe travel of the machine, the housing walls, and being rotatable as a is sufficient to adequatelycool the radiator uni wlthin said. housing. Between. the 2 without the use of the fan. On'eof the obplates, the gear 7 is mounted onthe'shaft 8. J jects of my invention therefore,'isto conserve A plate 12 covers the rearmost plate 9, and l the power thus otherwise wasted, by autoa plate 13 covers the forward plate 9,these I matically rele'asing'the fan ata predetercover plates being respectively-secured to the in" mined engine speed. I plates through themedium of screws or'other With these and other objects in view which fastening means 14:.- The plates 12 and 13 vare will become more apparent as the description of slightly greater' diameter than'the plates 7 proceeds,- the invention resides inthe con- 9, andoverhang the housing 5 atthe rear and struction, combination and arrangement of front thereof, so as .to'conime' theplates 9 to :2 parts hereinafter more fully described and rotary movement relative tothe casing, and claimech'a'nd illustrated in the accompanying to prevent endplay of theplates. uThe plates drawings in which, 7 9, together withjthe vbar- 10, which connects Figurelrepresents avertical sectional view hem, and the cover plates 12 and 13, thus taken through the timing chaincasing ofan form a unit,' .which is rotatable: relative to automob-ileengine, and showing the invention the chain housing, the latter being thickened in 1ace.' Y a if desired,.toformbroader bearingsurfaces Figure 2 represents a transverse'sectional as 1 f rv re iving tho 'plates 9., "This view on the line 2- -2 of Figure 1, looking in unit rotatably supports the, shaft 8. The I 3;; the direction indicated by the arrows. hearings will be oiled by the oil thrown from 35 Figure 3 ma front elevational view of a the chain, and. a packing gland or similar portion of the chain casing, showing the for} device indicated generallyat 4, may be utiward face of the support for the fan and lized to prevent loss of oil around the shaft 8, H tightener shaft. r It is to be noted that the shaft 8 is mounted it Figure i'is a transverse sectional view on eccentricallywith respect to'theplates 9, so '90 the line 4- of Figure '1, looking intlie 'dithat when the plates are rotated in one direce rection indicated by the arrows','and 4 1 tion or another, "the gear 7 will be moved Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view on the bodilythrough the arc of' a, circle, Hence, 7 a line 5-5 of Figure 3, looking in the direction upon rotationof the unit supporting the shaft indicated by the arrows. in one direction, the gear will'be'moved-in a "35 v Referrmg more particularly to the drawlire/($1011 to tighten thechain, and uponrota- I ings,the casingorhousinginwhichthe timing 'tionof the support in an oppositedirection', chain runs is indicated at 5, and the timing the gear will be bodilymoved in adir'ection' chain is indicated at 6. This chain, as is well to loo'senthe chainl f' I 50 known, vdrives the cam shaft of the engme :TMeans is provided for locliiiiig shaft i 00 support in any adjusted position, and this means includes clips 16, mounted on the forover-lying the adjacent portions of the housing, and each having a pin 19 engaging in a recess in the housing. The clips are held in place by studs or equivalent means which pass through the clips and are screwed into the housing, and which, when in place, retain the clips in the position indicated-in Figure l, and thus hold the shaft support against rotation,

Theclips 16 may, if desired, be arrar in diagonally opposedrelation with res the shaft support, andif desired, additiona clips 30 may be utilized for engaging the outer surface of the plate 13 at the vhich are unengaged by the clips 6, sum c as indicated in Figure 5, being int their inner ends to bear against t plate'13, andat their outer ends as at bear against, the housing, studs 32 bent lized to tighten the clips against the housing andithe cover plate.

l/Vhen itis desired to tighten the chai the studs 32.are loosened to relieve the p on the clips 30, the studs 20 are loos ficiently to allow the clips 16 being w drawn todisengage the pins 17 with the recesses l8, whereupon the shaft support may be bedriy rotatedto secure the desiredad ustment of the chain. The'clips 16 may be then reengage-d with the cover plate, the pins entering the new. recessesturned into registration with. them through theadjustment, and the studs 20. and 32tightened down to secure the clips in place.

Upon the reduced outer end of the shaft 8, is keyed or otherwise secu ed the hub 21 of the fan assembly, such hub including a cylindricaliportion. 22 which rotatably receives tne:cylindricalportion 2d of the hub of the fan 23, as shown in Figure 1. A taper faced ring 25 is slidably carried inside the hub cylinder 22. Against the tapered face of the ring weights 26 bear. These weights are carried at the endsof a curved spring 2? which surrounds the central portion of the fan as sembly hub 21', and are fixed thereto as by pins 29 in concentric relation with the shaft 8. A nut 28, threaded on the outer end of the shaft 8 and bearing against the .hub of the fan, serves as a means whereby the fan hub may be adjusted relatively to the hub 21, and whereby, as will be readily understood, when the nut 28 is turned up, thetaper faced-ring 25 may be tightened against the weights 26. Similarly, if it is desired to reduce the frictional engagement of the ring, with the weights on one side, and the fan n he cover hub on the other, the nut 28 may be backed to the desired degree.

From the foregoing description of the fan assembly, it will be observed that the fan, through the frictional contact of the weights, the ring, and the fan hub, will be driven by the engine, until the latter has reached such speed that the centrifugal action will release the pressure of the weights 26 against the ring to such an extent that the inertia of the fan will overcome the frictional engagement between the fan hub and the ring, or the weights and the ring, whereupon the fan will be released andwill cease revolving while the engine is turning over at and above the predetermined speed. Thus the engine may be relieved of the load-of the fan at any desired predetermined speed; By tightening the nut 28, or loosening it, to the desired degree, the engine speed at which the fanwill be released may be varied.

The foregoingdetailed descriptionhas been given for purposes of. illustration only, and no undue limitations should be deducedtherefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art. 7

Having thus described my invention what claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is v 1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a fan having a hollow hub, and means for driving the fan from the engine, of means mounted within the hub of the fan for releasing the fan from saiddriving means at predeterm ned engine speeds.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a fan, means within the hub of the fan for driving the fan, and for releasing the fan from its driving means at predetermined engine speeds, and adjusting means without the hub of the fan whereby the predetermined speed may be varied.

3. In a fan regulatingdevice for internal combustion engines, the combination of a shaft, means for driving the same, a fan as sembly hub rotatable with the shaft, a fan including a hub rotatable with'respcct to the fan assembly hub, a centrifugally controlled spring pressed weight rotatable withv the fan assembly hub andcarried therein, friction transfer means between the weight andthe fan hub, and means for adjusting the fan hub relative to the weight.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature.

RALPH. RAGAN. 

